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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: squash · branch · bulb · race · rash · net · bear · craft

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. squash — to crush
  3. race — the arms race
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bulb — for light
  7. branch — a division
  8. rash — a series
  9. net — in sport
  10. craft — boats
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. net — for catching
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bear — the animal
  16. race — humankind
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bear — the animal
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. net — after costs
  24. squash — the vegetable

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com